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Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Jan 30th, 2023–Jan 31st, 2023

Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.
Alpine
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.
Below Treeline
Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Regions

Northwest Coastal, Kitimat, Nass, Rupert, Seven Sisters, Shames, Stewart, Howson, Ningunsaw.

Continually monitor the changing weather and snowpack conditions over the next few days. New snow may take some time to bond to the underlying layers.

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

A couple of small (size 1) wind slabs, 10 to 20 cm deep, were reported Sunday, in alpine terrain near ridges on generally southeasterly terrain.

Backcountry users continue to report evidence of a significant avalanche cycle during the recent warm, wet, and windy weather early in the week. The majority of these avalanches were wind slabs, however, a number of avalanches stepped down to buried persistent layers, creating large, scary avalanches, like this one nearby in the Telkwa area on Friday.

If you are out in the backcountry please consider filling out a Mountain Information Network report.

Snowpack Summary

New low-density snow overlays various wind-affected surfaces in alpine terrain and widespread, supportive, melt-freeze crusts at lower elevations (roughly 1900 m and below).

The mid and lower snowpack continues to bond and stabilize while a number of buried weak layers remain a concern and have produced a number of large recent avalanches.

Weather Summary

Monday night

Cloudy with light snow, 2 to 5 cm. Treeline temperatures -5 to -10 C. Moderate southwest winds.

Tuesday

Cloudy with snow, 5 to 15 cm. Treeline temperatures -5 to -10 C. Strong southwest alpine winds.

Wednesday

Cloudy with snow, 5 to 15 cm. Treeline temperatures -5 to -10 C. Strong southwest alpine winds.

Thursday

Cloudy with snow, 10 to 30 cm. Treeline temperatures -5 to -10 C. Strong south winds.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
  • If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.

Problems

Wind Slabs

Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.